contains mild peril

1 World Cup and 2 chins

2010-06-27T10:41:00.001+01:00

this world cup is slow to get started, but what's worse is the beer + sitting combination.

Beer gut and chins wasn't what I had in mnind this summer...

me myself and I

2010-06-03T21:02:00.002+01:00

Just a stub to remind me to talk about identity.

ID cards, avatars, anonymity, multiple presences, who we are to our 'friends', when we introduce our friends to our (other circle/context of) friends...

you get the picture.

maybe this'll stay as a stub if I never develop my thoughts beyond a list...

32 countries 1 cup

2010-06-02T22:35:00.001+01:00

hopefully less gut wrenching.

lost my Last.fm account...

2010-05-09T22:19:00.001+01:00

how often have you lost your identity?

I'm trying to convince Last.fm that I'm "me" but how do I do that....

so I thought I'd post here, let them see that I have a Last.fm widget, am called whisht, and hope for the best.

Thank god ID cards are now out of the question in the UK.....

building, building, building...

2009-11-22T21:04:00.002Z

Construction is the biggest activity here. There's mining and farming but everywhere there are people putting up buildings. And there are plenty of half finished (or abandoned?) buildings.

Is this similar to a 'public works' initiative by the govt. to ease some of the massive unemployment? Are these all buildings for hotels and the (importnat) tourism industry?
If they are then the sheer number in some places is incredible.

If most of these buildings were used (even for day traffic stopping for a break en route somewhere) then there'd be so many people going to these places that they'd be overrun and people would stop going!

a new drink...

2009-11-22T20:53:00.003Z

Mint tea is a lovely idea.

A pot for guests to be welcomed with. Hot sweet mint tea, with its own traditions and moment of slowing down.

Of course, there are two types of mint tea.

Either a small silver tea pot, with dried mint leaves and with a touristy embroidered cover over the handle and glass. Is this the 'real' mint tea?

Or is it the larger glass stuffed with fresh mint leaves, plucked straight from... somewhere, jammed into the glass, with boiling water poured directly over the top?
and both with a side dish of sugar lumps.

My belief is the pot wins. Here the tea is usually sweetened even without the side dish of sugar and (much more importantly) the water stays hot longer, meaning you can pour small glasses and sip and take your time.

The larger glass of leaves goes cold quickly and cold mint tea is... awful. Its a drink to ensure you don't stay long. That is the more touristy drink methinks...

Its also the one I've dubbed a "hot virgin mojito" but that doesn't make it taste any better when it does go cold...

ahhhhh....

2009-11-22T20:32:00.002Z

The souqs (as all will tell) are a sensory overload.

Slats laid across as a roof allow strips of light in, causing a constant flicker where they exist. The sounds are constant (peddlers, mopeds, music), smells and sights.

and constant constant moving; an urge to move forward toward the next unknown. How could all this not be tiring??

So its wonderful to discover that the one moment where you hear the collective sigh of the tourist, is when the whole moving cavalcade grinds to a halt as two carts block each other.

Finally respite!

All the tourists can stand still and watch and smile as one driver starts barking at the other to get his cart the hell out of the way. Yes a chance to stop and smile at a cock up that is absoultely not your fault or due to you misunderstanding something (the 125th misunderstanding you'll have made that day).

But then the jam is solved and once again, the movement forward begins, and stuff to be bought can be avoided.

the rules of hauliage

2009-11-22T20:29:00.001Z

If you can't carry it on your back,
use a bike.

If you can't carry it on your bike,
use a cart.

If you can't carry it on your cart,
it doesn' exist.

and the answer to the second question is...?

2009-11-22T20:21:00.004Z

so, it quickly turns out that the first question kids will ask is "where are you from? England? Germany? French?"

and on learning England the second question is:

"what team?? Manchester? Chelsea?"

Now, its fairly obvious from the shirts many wear, but even so, every kid here supports Barcelona (even those wearing fake Real Madrid shirts).

On hearing the words "Arsenal" it kinda takes them back for a nanosecond and then they say "oohh, they're a good team. They play well; like Barcelona".

Footy's the new common language - a shared experience regardless of our background. On them saying the words "Adebayor" or "Chelsea" and me mock-crying "aarrggh" and clutching my heart in pain, there are understood laughs and connections.

nice feeling.

Its a Lonely Planet...

2009-11-22T20:10:00.003Z

As most people travelling in Morocco, I had my trusty Lonely Planet (no Rough Guides this season it seems for any Europeans).

So we all head to roughly the same places. Tried the rated bar Nawama (meaning "hot and cold" apparently) which left me.... cold.
Kinda opulent in terms of Marrakech. Was it the opulence (again) which freaked me, or the conspicuousness of being a single guy in a bar/restaurant?

Turned round and went straight back out and passed some loud 'lundener' Brits coming in.

Glad I left. As soon as I saw them and they saw me, there was a reversion (for me at least) of eye-avoidance, no-smiles, and shoulders down to avoid confrontation. And I'd been enjoying the smiling and eyes-up of holidaying too much for that bullshit.

Got dinner at the other LP rated place overlooking the Jemaa el Fna (still can't say "Fna" without thinking of the Viz "fnarr"). Much better, even though all the food was off for one reason or another. My kefta tagine was "very good" according to the waiter which was a blessing as it was the only main left(!).

Actually it was rather good, if a tad eggy (more of an omelette but still enjoyable and the setting was worth it).

Jemaa el Fna better written about just about everywhere else, but one bit the writers miss is the fact that they still have games there that I haven't seen since going to fairs in the '70's.

Hooking the bottle with a crappy rod and hoop on a bit of string is a classic (and no less fun it seems than it was back then).
New variants seem to be kick the ball and knock down 2 skittles and putt a golf ball up a long stretch of fabric into a plastic hole. The guy's mate was doing it for fun, encouraging punters to have a go...

luckily it seems snakes sleep at night so none of those shenanigans at night.

stuff I should remember when travelling...

2009-11-22T20:06:00.003Z

Remember that if travelling anywhere (anywhere) to bring shower gel.

Had forgotten that they don't always provide it in many countries. So ended up using the shampoo that was provided. Shampoo for luxuriant flowing long black hair.

It was either using this or the strawberry scented hand soap.

And I didn't want to smell like I'd just come out of the loo, or like a pre-teen girl.

Back from Morocco

2009-11-22T20:02:00.003Z

well, as I'm back from Morocco it'd make sense to go back through my brilliantly appropriate (ie accidentally chosen) blue coloured notebook for bon mots and stuff.

the paucity of following posts will signal merely my lack of notetaking rather than the fact that I had a wonderful wonderful time.

On returning to work many remarked as to how "well" and "unstressed" I now looked. I'll admit I hadn't really noticed how stressed I had been...

spam or subscription...?

2009-07-31T21:58:00.005+01:00

while talking (ie taking the piss) with a colleague and his disgust at the level of spam he gets I questioned had he actually wanted to increase the size of his cock through viagra etc.
"yes" I said "but is that spam or subscription?".

hilarity ensued.

[ahem]

but......

I work for a marketing company that also does "direct marketing" and it made me think that the 'perfect' spam would be considered as something the recipient wanted - ie something that they would subscribe to.

But how would I sell this......?

"we all know the horrible spam we get telling us how to increase the length of our cock, but we want our spam(unwarranted email) to be so relevant(segmented) that it feels like they may have wanted that email in the first place..."

I'm working on my pitch.

Antisocial Networking!!

2009-02-24T14:30:00.005Z

So..... how often have we been told that "it will rot your brain and turn you into a zombie!"

As far back as the mid nineteenth century we had the Penny Dreadfuls and also "dime" novels from the States.

Then in the 1950's "comics" were seen as the ruin of their age (psychiatrist Frederic Wertham wrote a book, The Seduction of the Innocent, where he accused comic books of causing youth corruption and juvenile delinquency).

Video nasties in the '80s then took over the mantle, creating the trash that is today's adults.

now...... we have "Antisocial Networking!!"

will we never learn how easily our children are injured??

Can we ever climb back up the shore towards the purity before the 1850's ...... or is this all the Descent of Man?

ah, who cares, maybe I'll just Twitter this.....

****UPDATE******

ahh, all this new fangled communication ain't all bad then.

oh, maybe it is

Social unrest networking

2009-02-23T15:07:00.003Z

2 stories caught my attention over lunch:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/education/7902323.stm

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2009/feb/23/police-civil-unrest-recession

I think the "summer of discontent" may b a bit overplayed - simply the person for whom it would be an issue is saying that its more likely and its being slightly dramatised.

Networking for museum lovers is really interesting.
Why?
Well, its being run by a (physical) network of museums, so it'll be interesting how the physical-world is mirrored online - both in terms of visitor activity and interactions as well as the cross-management of those spaces (eg cross promotions like 2-galleries-for-one tickets; if you liked that, you'll love this etc).

The fact its just got to have a dating component is of no concern to me whatsoever.

[ahem]

Also they just have to have a dating section... I mean, its a must

a blog a month keeps the doctor.... un-rhymeable

2009-02-13T23:05:00.002Z

a post a month probably not bad all things considered.

so, what am I up to....

listening to Seldom seen Kid by Elbow and liking it very very much. They get compared to Coldplay every time yet to refute this means I'll have to listen to a lot of Coldplay.

And life really is too short for that.

what else.....?

Revolutionary graphics [see post below] might make an impact in late(r) 2009 due to the Tate exhibition on Rodchenko and Popova.

maybe.
Though Cuba part 1 sank without much trace. Perhaps that great conspiracy theorist Oliver Stone is conspiring to have Castro pronounced dead and raise the film's profile...?

shocking thought. The Oscars cn do that for him.

rambling now.... best to lie down for a month and blog again then....

well, its 2009 then...

2009-01-01T19:38:00.002Z

um, well, it sbeen a while since the last post blah blah blah......

So, 2009 eh? What'll it bring?
Methinks mainly revolutionary graphics from Russia, China and Cuba.

Cos of the 50th Cuban anniversary, economic crisis, 80's music nostalgia.

now, if you think that makes no sense (except the first) then its because its mainly ill-read 20-somethings who set the agenda and they'll be looking at 80's videos, seeing lots of Russia v US stuff, being told its closer economically to the 20's america or the 70's, mixing it all up and then getting confused.

Then they'll thnk of the Cold War Modern and Warhol exhibitions they saw and finally fall back on old Graphics standards of Maholy-Nagy/ Bauhaus.

anyway, providers of black and red inks will be happy.

why i've always been bored by Banksy

2008-05-25T21:08:00.003+01:00

its just so "A" level Art.

really.

The ideas are ill formed and a bit juvenile. If he was 17 I'd think "prat" but he isn't and people are buying his crap and I just think..... why? Simply for the profile?

here's one that illustrates my point. "One nation under CCTV".
erm, hardly topical or cutting edge is it? And obviously done with the approval of the Royal Post who had a CCTV camera next to where it was painted.
Now, its not that a surveillance culture isn't something to be worried about but we've been worried about it to various degrees for over 10 years. And at times we've recoiled from it and others embraced it (images of a child being led away through a shopping centre, "have you seen this man" who has a bomb in his rucksack...)

If you are gonna do something like this at least make it topical or shed new light on the issue (abuse of power? not asking for permission eroding other notions of liberty?) or (jeezus) just a pun or something. "One Nation in camera" for instance. y'know, we don't get access.....

I dunno, its just always disapointing when the media (and people with money) focus on stuff that's so weak. (finally??) there was some good stuff at the Photographer's Gallery for instance. And that's off the top of my head.

They've got Auerbach drawings by the toilets at the National.
(almost a lyric by Arctic Monkeys or something)

I'm rambling but its just difficult to be focused when there are so many idiots to try to ignore.

the excitement of the non-footy footy season

2008-05-25T18:20:00.003+01:00

yeah ok ok. I haven't posted in a while.

y'know, I just thought this internet fad would pass over. like rollerskates. or skateboards. but they're back now too so..... well, I'll just give in to it and blog random thoughts on wimmin and Arsenal.

Luckily, although the footy season has ended, the non-footy footy season of transfers and rumours begin. All that ball kicking stuff is overrated anyway. Seems "fans" want Arsenal to either be patient or splash the cash. and the press link us to every player the player's agent tells them about.

Its so exciting* and Arsenal seem to be a magnet for this stuff. If there was a trophy for Wiki-rumours we'd have silverware guaranteed every year.

Luckily this heartened me - apparently were signing "everyone".

Yes, everyone.

that's a helluva squad I know- true depth - but hopefully (hopefully) "everyone" includes a centre back of real quality.

fingers crossed

* I mean boring

you lucky lucky bastard...

2008-01-09T19:15:00.000Z

y'know... its amazing how often i'm the 10,000th visitor to sites.

I mean - how lucky can you get?

Its (kind've) a new post

2007-12-31T18:51:00.000Z

Well, I thought I'd post something as its New Year's Eve, new intentions and all that.

and before I begin I have to admit that this is essentially an email I sent a friend. Why admit that? Well, he's a fourth of the audience of this blog so....

Apparently pundits used Google Trends the last time there was a US Presidential election to predict who would win. They predicted the winner would have higher search ratings.

kinda iffy if you ask me, but that hasn't stopped me from putting in the Democrat front runners and spinning the handle...

and getting these results

John Edwards has these odd spikes, but Hilary's way out of it - maybe people have an opinion of her and don't need to search online for info...? and that would not be a good sign for her chances.

As for the Republicans....

which made me wonder about Ron Paul....

but no, he's not riding on RuPaul in any way.

[ahem]

Been an odd week

2007-09-30T21:37:00.000+01:00

Well, its been an odd week. I can't really talk about it except to say that I had to cut a limb off last week without anyone noticing. And as you'd imagine people noticed.

reverie

2007-09-30T21:23:00.000+01:00

Now this feels a little weird but its completely normal. Or as normal as all this "web2.0" malarkey is.

A good friend of mine's partner "Facebook poked" me which was a tad weird the first time and shows no sign of getting less weird.

She said she wanted to lie on the grass and listen to old vinyl with my friend, which sounds absolutely perfect and I lamely replied:
"Am currently doing the digital version of "listening to old vinyl" - ie going through the arse end of iTunes and putting names to "Track 01 Track 01 Track 02 Track 02...".
Mind you I heard some lovely old pleasures like Mr Bojangles by Sammy Davis Junior, Radiohead as sung by Sinatra and the Langley School Project...."

It may be the bottom of my barrel of tunes but this scraping of one's collection is turning up some real gems!

what can i say...?

2007-09-16T18:18:00.000+01:00

After looking at what I tag my posts with, it seems that I write quite a few about Arsenal.

I guess that means I should talk about the latest derby. But y'know its tricky. I didn't see it ('cept on MoTD) and so don't have an opinion about performances etc etc etc.

but, then again it was 3 - 1 to us away from home.

so..... erm..... ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahahahahahahahahhaha!!!!!

[ahem]

heh...... hahahahahahahahahaha!!!!!!
C'MONNNNNnnnnn!!

not waving but... waving

2007-09-16T18:07:00.000+01:00

So, not last Friday, but the one before (yes its been a while since I last posted, thankyou Miles). I was walking up Finsbury Sq. and looking probably a bit miserable (mainly tired after a long week but also not about to get back to the embrace of a beautiful woman. or an ugly one for that matter).

Anyway, as I'm walking along minding me own business, I pass a minicab where a passenger in the back leans over his partner and waves happily-albeit furiously - at me. His partner seems not to know what the hell's going on and I didn't recognise her. Anyway, it brought a smile to my sour-puss before they were gone.

Who was that mystery man of mirth?

was it you?

probly not, but it kinda cheered me up, so ta.

oooooohhhhhh

2007-07-27T21:20:00.000+01:00

i know - the last post was a little.... glum.

here is something that made me go "oooooahhh yeeeah...erm.... er great but...... why?"

which is something I realy like

Can't hear you....

2007-07-26T14:13:00.000+01:00

Saw something quite sad the other day.

Young mother pushing her pram with young child - and the mum was wearing headphones.

Philosophically I'd been thinking that everyone is wearing headphones nowadays and that this was separating people even more than before, allowing people to drift around in their own world...

but this..?

This was just too graphic an illustration. And it wasn't a one-off - I've seen her a few times...

I guess it could be a "better parenting" CD but...

Doh!

2007-07-05T23:21:00.000+01:00

Soooooo........... if I was a cartoon character....

hm. Actually The simpsons is fine, but I never watch it. However, they are fine and if i do watch it I like it and they have produced a nice interactive website for the fillum they've got - so no disparaging remarks from me.

and that's me below (apparently)

adieu

2007-06-23T13:34:00.000+01:00

So, Henry's off.

It was getting more and more certain and now its confirmed. Great footballer - still is - and will do well at Barca. good luck and all that.
I still don't understand how he was sold so cheaply but... I'm sure we'll find out. However, it was the 'right' time for him to go - 30 this year with 2-3 quality seasons left in him. He's probably had his best seasons but will probably have more successful ones (in Europe) with Barca.

I'm pretty sanguine cos for the last 2 or 3 seasons, when he was brilliant Arsenal were brilliant. However, when he was having a bit of a sulk, the rest of the team performed poorly. Maybe his appetite wasn't there anymore and he didn't feel the challenge with this current crop of players - all completely understandable.

However, its not a disaster (yet) for Arsenal as we still have a team that got 4th place (joint on points) without Henry and RVP for most of the season. Now we will have RVP back and fit, as well as the lack of distraction from Baptista and possibly augmented by a good striker (Anelka??). It will be a disaster though if all the talk in the press is about "instability" with the board and manager. Its our stability that has made us attractive to players (and managers for that matter).

I think the uncertainty with Wenger is a bigger factor than Henry leaving - Wenger needs to commit beyond his contract to entice good players to the squad. This in the Guardian is interesting if you're into the business behind the balls.

as it were.

Anyway, at least this is all wrapped up early in the summer to allow us a respite of the "will-he-or-won't-he?" chatter in the press.

Except now it'll be Wenger - "will-he-or-won't-he?".

oh roll on a signing and the new season...

don't look up

2007-06-18T07:17:00.000+01:00

I was wandering along the South Bank on Sunday after pottering round Tate Modern and came across the Coin St Festival which was celebrating Refugee Week.

Saw an interesting klezmer-like band (the destroyers) and a lot of well meaning people. And it must be said a helluva lot of smiles.

Mind you, at the same time, there was the flyover commemorating the Falklands war. Lots of helicopters and fighter jets.
The noise of these things is unique and must be terrifying during an actual war.

And there must have been at least some refugees from some of the worst war torn countries on the South Bank that day who would have recognised that noise.

I paused to think, but there may have been some who cringed at that sound again.

stars in their eyes

2007-06-17T23:03:00.000+01:00

well, I haven't blogged in a while. But then agian what would I say?

I mean, all that's happening is that Thierry Henry is being sold, I had a very drunken night in a club, I've joined Facebook, been to a wedding, endured people not respecting the "what happens on stag stays on stag" rule, am leaving my house of 11-and-a-half years and am about to enjoy/ endure the launch of the site I've been working on.

fuck all to blog about then.

If I had to, I'd say that its interesting that much of the online (arsenal) community seem pretty ok with Henry leaving (none want it but all are pretty sanguine as long as its done quickly and not some horrible heamorrage over the whole summer).

aside from that all I can say is.... would we get one star for the site or two?

shhhhsh

2007-06-12T20:24:00.000+01:00

Why is it thick people talk so loudly?

Obviously this is not a value judgement upon anyone and we are all equal, but I hate being subjected to very loud people shouting at each other (in an argument/conversation) and talking nonsense in no more than two syllables.

They should shut their fucking cake-holes.

the thick fuckwits.

a typical london sunday

2007-06-03T22:45:00.000+01:00

that was nice. spent an afternoon in Regent's Park with me bruvver.

It was an odd tree-hugging event, espousing all things 'sustainable' and 'good'. lots of signing of petitions and reading of flyers to demonstrations and talks. Obviously not by us, we had a female friend to do all that.

Also lots of homeopathic medicines, yoga, "chi", natural remedies, biodegradable bags and starch forks etc etc ad nauseum.

Wanted to set up a Snake-oil stall and see if anyone wanted to buy. Rueful look from bro told me to whisht.

All in all a nice chat and bit of frisbee with too much sun - i reckon that's a darn good afternoon.

Thank god there wasn't any poetry reciting from the slightly over-enthusiastic compere on stage to spoil it.

sooooooo last century

2007-05-28T23:28:00.001+01:00

so once again i attempt to get down wid da kidz and lissen to sum cuttin' choons.

or something.

Today?
Today I bought Isaac Hayes' Chocolate Chip and Michael Jackson's Off the Wall and Thriller.

OK OK you're thinking that this is no way for a mid-thirties Oirishman to discover his 'soul'. That's unfair! I have soul. I have a heart! True, even my heartbeat can't keep a steady rhythm, but....

[ahem]

Now I'm listening to "My heart is in the Highlands" as set by Arvo Part.
ahhhhhhh..... !

Next week read again how someone who really should buy the new Artic Monkey's album gets waylaid and buys somethng from another century. again.

this blog was the answer to a profound statement

2007-05-21T22:22:00.000+01:00

so, as i mentioned once before, I put this stat counter on the blog to see if anyone had looked at it without leaving a comment (as if... ahem).

Below is a list of things people typed into Google and followed to get to this blog.

Now, to the untrained eye these might all look odd, but I'm curious about the woman who was looking for.... well, something on 05/05/07

so, the end of an era

2007-05-15T14:48:00.001+01:00

or maybe longer?

I've lived in my current house for 11 - nearly 12 - years now. What's also unusual is that I've rented a room in this shared house for all that time.

Yes yes, 'wasted' the money etc etc but actually I'm probably cash neutral taking into account the low rent, zero spending on roof repairs and gas men etc etc and living within walking distance of work and town.

But now the landlord has been forced to sell. He was very apologetic but it had to happen at some time. I was contemplating moving out and buying at some stage this year but I'd done sod all about that plan up to now so maybe I needed this 'push'.
Still, its not really sinking in yet. And it had better sink in soon cos I have to be out by August 1st.

the end of an era...

who what where whu?

2007-05-13T20:19:00.000+01:00

urgh.

just back from stag weekend in Madrid. Obviously there'll be no stories of any of the events.
"What happens on stag, stays on stag."

however, just had this txt exchange with one of the other members of the group:

"the canadians want to meet up with you! send a text to +35386XXXXXXX"

I reply:
"Erm... what canadians? I'm in the UK now"

"Nevermind! It was the ones we met in the bar on Friday."

I have absolutely no memory of meeting anyone at all. I can't even remember Friday or where we were.

nada.

damndamndamndamndamn

more lack of memories and recollections to follow no doubt.....

and a season ebbs on...

2007-05-07T10:00:00.000+01:00

So, took my regular jog yesterday - 40 mins about once a month. Does me no real good but hopefully no harm. Then sunk 7 pints watching Arsenal be bitty. Maybe I've developed some kind of karmic keep-fit - jog and drink.

The game was dissapointing as we should have (finally) beaten Chelsea - it seems so long since we have. They were first to the ball especially for the first 30 mins, broke up our lackadaisacal passing but were no real threat in front of goal. Still, they were more of a threat than we were.
Baptista was ineffective again. He couldn't strike a fucking match. ah well, no doubt he'll go on to another club and score 50 and good luck to him.

Stood their watching it in a pub surrounded by women of a certain tan. "Mahogany moms" or something.

Maybe the sunbeds of Norf London have a "Goa" setting...

where to start..?

2007-04-29T22:49:00.000+01:00

so - as usual I join the 'hip' world far, far too late. I bought a Nano at the moment I'm sure everyone else is about to buy the "micro" or "weeny" or whatever.

Also, as is my usual way with technical things, it didn't work as soon as I plugged it in (though to get around this I didn't resort to the printed manual as a friend believed I would have to... but what's the shame in that!??).

[ahem]

However, the important question is this:

how do I choose 8GB of music out of the 28GB of music that I have????

suggestions welcome...

time well spent?

2007-03-25T23:54:00.000+01:00

well I've spent the best part of an hour (longer??) tagging all my 140-odd posts.
Tags on the right - travel and.... other.

Although the numbers of postings per tag aren't exposed here (yet or ever - depends on how hard to do), from the admin interface I can see a rough guide as to what it is I go on about.

mainly travel, women, Arsenal, and bloggy/ webby stuff.

But I forgot to tag anything 'serious'.

or "posted while drunk".

And that would be a useful tag.

here's looking at you kid

2007-03-25T21:38:00.000+01:00

Walking home and I'd just got off the phone from telling a friend how self concious I was that people were staring at me (I'd shaved my head that morning).
Then a very nice thing happened.

Walking up through Angel (London) I caught the eye of a very attractive girl waiting for a bus.
As I continued walking up the hill I took a sly look across to where she should be (oh as if you wouldn't) and caught her eye again - but this time she had moved around the queue to look up at me as I walked past!

me!

and she was cute! Really!

and what did I do? Yep - I kept on walking....

somehow I really think there should be a better end to this story. Or a point. Somewhere in all that, there is a point. And an observation on how men look at women and women look at men in the street. and people staring at freaky looking shaven-headed men.

but most importantly, the effect a look from a very attractive girl can have on a man, evidenced by the fact that I'm still thnking about it hours later.

In dreams

2007-03-25T21:12:00.000+01:00

Did you dream of me last night??

Last night was a bit weird.
Last night I had a terrible night's sleep. Awful. Tossing and turning. Partly the fault of booze and curry, partly the heat and stuffiness of my room (for boring reasons I didn't have my window open and the radiator must've been on).

anyway, I had nasty dreams where i was attacked by the cat (needle sharp claws and teeth). Almost certainly other stuff too but can't remember.

At one point I woke and found it was 4am. And I was more awake than asleep. bugger. Then a friend called me on my mobile! I didn't answer (it was 4am for christ's sake) but listened to his slightly groggy message in case he was in trouble. Nah, just a bit drunk. But weird that he'd think of me when he was drunk though. A good bloke but we haven't seen each other in months and don't regularly meet up or anything.

Anyway, instead of sleeping I tried listening to the calming music I bought recently and dozed.

I got a call from another mate later in the day asking how I was.

"Fine" says I. It turns out he'd had a nightmare last night involving me! We'd been in a club together which should have been sweaty hot and I kept complaining of being terribly cold. I then proceeded to start slamming my head on the floor. Which was embarressing for him as we were in a club. And I haven't slammed my head off anything in years! Anyway, it freaked him to the extent that he called just in case something really had happened to me (and this guy is not one of those who believes in mystic shit).
Fortunately, before he became embarrassed from talking about psychic stuff or telepathy (heaven forbid!) we started talking business.

Later still I spoke with a different friend and she had had a nightmare last night too!
Involving spiders on her bed!!

Which is almost certainly a dream about me as well!!

curry indigestion is bad enough but psychic curry wind seems to travel further still...

New music you say?

2007-03-25T11:02:00.000+01:00

Needed to buy some new music. You know, something by a thrusting new artist, with new ideas and a irreverant disrespect for the old guard.

something.... vital. Of the moment. Risk taking.

something to connect me with the streets.

I bought Spem in alium by Tallis.
16th century choral music - great (his greatest) but... something tells me the streets aren't listening to this...

If I work hard, I'll be just like him...

2007-03-10T20:26:00.000Z

So, I'm walking past the gym to work as I do every morning and I look up at the TV they've got playing there. In the morning its playing sport from the previous evening - usually football.

Fair enough. It suits the clientele and its kinda inspirational yet entertaining.

Yesterday it was replaying the darts.

um..... oh, forget it.

Google hammered

2007-03-10T10:41:00.000Z

Ah, brilliant!

I stuck this widget on the blog to say how many 'hits' it was getting (basically i had no way of knowing if someone had posted a comment and was trying this out. It hasn't worked. But then again, its hardly like I get a lot of comments... unless they're all hidden somewhere...)

anyway, anyway... one of the things it tells you is the keywords used if someone got here via Google.

To be honest, noone has arrived here via a Google search (I guess we're a select group) except for one person who had done a search for:

"gillian mckeith cut down on booze"

Amazingly this blog is second in the results list if you type that into Google!

However, I don't think that the person* found what they were looking for as my posts were about how Ben Goldacre of the Guardian hates Gillian McKeith's dangerous quackery... and my need to cut down on the booze...

he he

* if you are that person and you've come back, then I hope that things are ok, and that you do cut down on the booze, but that you don't rely on a dangerous faux doctor like McKeith. Loadsa other ways to reduce intake and not feel guilt.

It makes me MAD!!

2007-03-10T10:03:00.000Z

Look, why (oh why) do we still get those fucking sandwich-boards outside of newsagents with "teasers" as to a story???

It's no point writing "TV star dies" and hoping that I'll go in and buy the evening-fucking-standard (bastards) to find out who has died! I mean, I know already! It was on the radio, I can get it on the internet. Christ I probably have an RSS feed for celeb-death!!

Stop it!! and what are yu getting at? Was John Inman a transvestite? NO HE FUCKING WASN'T!!!!!

bastards.

At your service

2007-03-10T09:55:00.000Z

a friend asked me to blog more. Obviously he did this outside of the blog itself but hey ho. Luckily we didn't talk face-to-face as that would be sooooooo last century...

but I haven't blogged cos I've had nothing at all to say for a while. Ok Ok that never stops me normally but still....

So, if a few random posts appear here its just me trying to scrape the barrel of my life and come upwith something.

I'm here to serve.

The romance of the FA Cup...

2007-02-12T23:49:00.000Z

Bolton v Arsenal. Wednesday 14th Feb

hmmm.... probably more like the Valentine's Day Massacre....

c'mon Arsenal, cheer me up. I'm still sad from Sunday when France beat Ireland in the rugby. Even our squeak against Wigan didn't lighten my mood (it would've been difficult to do with the fug of alcohol).

I couldn't bear to watch or listen to the footy when i turned it on after the rugby had finished to hear that we were one-nil down.

So I resorted to coping by watching Time Team on Channel Four. Weird effect. Didn't sober me or make me happier or even make me sadder. Just kinda emotion-neutral... it was like my mood was on pause and i was just treading water...

I wonder if that's the TV equivalent of opium?

tense.... or a Marquee?

2007-02-03T23:03:00.000Z

I've always been dubious of online "communities" (ok ok I've worked on pitches and products for these over for the last few years so maybe I'm jaded).

However, I actually contributed to and - heck - felt a part of one (the PM blog) since it began last year (comment 64 on the First Day which should've put me in mind of the Beatles, now i think of it)

Anyway, the technology or management behind the site has basically fallen apart. Which has left the regulars a bit floundered (especially as its referred to as a pond...)

Its a shame as it almost reached the point of a maturing community where the "old guard" was going through changes (contributor power) and new members. But this was still a few months away. Instead all this has potentially been lost and the thing has ground to a halt with new posters (as well as those who know that the site is going through a shit spell) been unable to post.

A real shame and a opportunity possibly lost. Certainly a lot of 'regulars' have given up and will wait to see what happens.

Me? well.... I love to talk and listen and the people there are great but I can't be arsed with the delays, non-delivered posts etc etc.

The thing about the web and 'real' venues is that there are other places to meet, but its the venue itself that is the defining point here...

I hope this won't be like the Marquee club where people say "oh yeah, I was there on Day One... yeah I see the groupies at other clubs and such but obviously it isn't the same..."

oh - I already have...

Travels & tales... and travails??

2007-01-19T21:00:00.000Z

Hi to people (ok ok, noone else reads this other than a few very too kind froggers) who have asked about me and Spanish and made some far-too-warm comments about my photos on Flikr.

right, [intake of breath]

I "gave up work" at the end of 2005 and decided to get some time to myself away from work.
No clear objectives or destinations in mind but ended up going to Poland to visit a friend, Spain to visit a friend and Guatemala to visit... well, noone actually.

anyway, for Spain and Guatemala I took a very small notepad with me in order to scribble thoughts, observations and to look intelligent when alone in a bar or restaurant.
Rather than blog while abroad, I transcribed the notes into the blog (c'mon - I was abroad and I do not want to be in an internet cafe). A bit of editing here and there but not as much as you'd wish (you haven't read it yet).

Anyway, I have no technical control of this blog so can't "tag" my posts and get them grouped "dynamically". So instead, I've stuck links to the beginnings of the travel notes in the right hand column. yes go look. yes those ones.

Interestingly(?) you have to read the page from the bottom up as this is a blog, so start at the bottom of the page otherwise any humour I can wring from the dry rag of reality will be lost.

alternatively, ignore the links and demand I be amusing or insightful now as opposed to being johnny foreigner not speakinger the languagy.

An icon

2007-01-17T22:01:00.000Z

Happy Birthday to Muhammed Ali.

Honestly - no puns, no irony from me.

The Greatest

push the boat out and push the button...

2007-01-15T21:48:00.000Z

Now, the other person who asked me to whitter on has now made me listen to more Sugarbabes than I have done in a very long time. Ever actually. I kinda liked the singles but their site really goes through the hits....

To say I like the mu

oohhhh NO! NO!! NOOO! - THAT'S WRONG!!!!!!! They're butchering the Beatles' "Come Togeher"!

Right up to that point I was ok with them and was gonna wax lyrical about their fine production and some good use of melodies and stuff but that has finished me right off.

urrrRRggHHH [shiver]

Now without that horrible sound I can concentrate on the task at hand and I have to say that my favourite is Heidi.

But I'm not buying the album.

Or even the calendar.

a moving tale of selfishness

2007-01-15T21:28:00.000Z

Well, at least two people have asked me to whitter on about something and god knows I usually don't need to be asked...

However, I'm sorry madmary but I won't go on and on about my housemates, mainly as it would show the true tedious horror of my life and the extraordinarily low threshold of others' idiosynchrasies that I now have, but also as it'd be totally unfair.

y'see its me - not them. They're actually lovely people etc etc. Its just that another's quirks can wear away at you and become a sore point quite quickly.

god knows how they put up with my quirks but there you go.

I actually have never lived alone and want to try it out. I want my own space where if I want to cook, I can go in the kitchen and if I left it clean it'll be clean when I go in and if I need a pot it'll be there and not simply sitting on the stove with someone else's unfinished food in it. And I won't get disturbed halfway through cooking with people also wanting to cook. If I want to watcha movie on TV, I can watch it and not try and figure out if I'll be disturbed and have it ruined. If I want a curry and watch TV than I want to be able to do it without thinking "I wonder if so-and-so will be back - they'll probably want to use the front room and not have me stink it out with a curry... and I don't want to sit there eating it in front of them..."

etc

ad nauseum. (in my head, not the curry)

As you can see, its me who now can't handle sharing.

Interestingly (perhaps) is that I live in a 'houseshare' as its financially the only way I can really survive in London. Although now I have enough money saved to consider buying a miniscule, overpriced room in a far worse location.

Before now I had been wary of living alone as I was worried that I would succomb to loneliness and my darker moods. Living alone could've sent me mad.

Now, living with people seems to be the thing that's driving me nuts!

I think moving out will be a good move....

ooohhhh.............. participation

2007-01-12T20:50:00.000Z

right.
I don't feel like blogging, yet I'm bored and want to talk about something....

so, what do you want me to talk about? I've got an opinion on loads of things - mainly stuff I know sod all about.
What would you like me to go on about? Art? Music? football? Design? designing websites?? Politics?

whatever. Now, if I was strong I'd say I ain't gonna blog again until someone asks me something to talk about.
But I ain't that strong and I'll merely not blog for a week or two or three and then I'll probably just say something..!

though ask me about my housemates and I'll bore you to tears about their... ugh only if you ask....

not so newsworthy now, huh?

2007-01-07T21:25:00.000Z

hmm.... they've hung Saddam.

So I guess I'd better start selling my Celebdaq shares in him?

anyone buying?

Man-hugs

2007-01-07T20:39:00.000Z

the other thing I meant to do was apologise to a mate and say thanks for your xmas present. I was really touched. I wanted to get in touch when I opened it, but put it off and then... was too late.

stuffed up my honest thanks and feeling of humbleness-ity

Sorry. And Thanks. I was really touched.

Blog-u-like

2007-01-07T19:28:00.000Z

Right. The last post mentioned two thngs I should've done. One was to suggest some blogs that I like.

so, some blogs that I like:
The Radio 4 PM blog, full of interesting thoughts from people. about stuff. Like the hanging of Saddam, heroin, Afghanistan, the importance of punctuation, recipes.... oh, and cats. Seems everyone has a cat.
Interestingly(?) a fair few have blogs of their own... think I'll do a sepearate posting of those.

The musings of my mate (like me, getting back into blogging and some of his earlier postings were, well.... he was having fun abroad. Now he's Re-Patted. but hopefully that doesn't mean the fun stuff has ended.

And my daily dose of a very well written footy blog. Well written, with links to news stories but importantly a strong editorial voice. He does swear quite a bit, but.... well.... it is about footy and the ref was a [ahem]... Arseblog
pretty obvious who I support huh? actually see hi posting after the win over Liverpool. Very even handed and criticised one of our own players rather than just sitting there smugly...)

This one I've only just come across a day or two ago and in fact almost did have an acident as this stuff really does get my juices going. Data visualisation, design etc etc etc.
Yummy.

And Badscience is the writings of Dr. Ben Goldacre who writes in the Guardian on a Saturday. Especially useful if you're into nutritionism. He really really really hates Gillian McKeith. I mean, even more than I hate people on telly (and that's saying something).
Though tellingly, he actually has reasons for disliking people, which I would never sink to.

I'll stop now as growabrain is a site that links to new interesting stuff on the interwub. If you're looking for something not to do over lunch then this might provide the links to it.
and its where I'll be looking for new blogs...

S.A.D or sad?

2007-01-07T19:14:00.000Z

I really haven't been on good form for a few weeks now. I seem to be 'off the pace', trying too hard, not doing things when I meant to and then making poor judgements (nothing serious, but annoying, like not thanking a friend for a present the moment I received it; not suggesting that people vote for fellows on a blog I also post to, silly things but things that stay in my mind at least).

I've also caught myself with thoughts that are a precursor to feeling 'down'/ blue whatever. So.... what I should do is take remedial action and:

cut down on the booze;
go jogging an evening a week;
eat better food (ie veg).

What's good is that these are all easy to do yet do make a difference.

They won't make me any less off the pace, mind. I'm afraid if you know me you'll have to put up with strained gags and sentences beginning and then just fading out as I realise that even I can't be bothered with them.

Yeah, I know I know... the difference??

well the difference is that I'm aware of the rubbish I'm speaking

[blimey - sympathetic music or what - I have randomly selected music on in the background here, and "Dark was the night Cold was the ground" by Blind Willie Johnson has just come on. Ry Cooder did it as Paris Texas!]

[sigh]

No - don't say it

2007-01-01T19:12:00.000Z

Words that should be banned:

some chuckles...

Hen Guitar Fy Nhadau

2007-01-01T18:53:00.000Z

cannot believe this. Actually I don't believe this.

Just read in the guardian (paper not online - so no link!!) about the "possible" Hendrix version of "Land of my Fathers" (Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau) - the Welsh National Anthem.

Complete fake as I'm now enduring after following the link (in the paper - now there's a novelty in itself)

listen .... but not for as long as I have been while typing this as its awful in a faux-Hendrix way.

made me smile for a second tho, if only for the stoopidity of it!!

so this is blogging, and what have we done...?

2006-12-31T19:21:00.000Z

[this is a copy of wot-i-just-rote on the PM blog]
Inspired by a contributer to the PM blog, I've just re-read my own blog from the beginning of the year. Interesting (if only for me) as I had little flashbacks of my time travelling.

As dear reader you'll know, in November 2005 I 'left work', sat on me bottom and travelled a bit. By the end of the first quarter of 2006 I'd made it to Spain and Guatamala (as anyone who peeked at my pics will know). Not massive travels I grant you, but still. Nice memories. And interesting to be able to access them for the first time after writing them down all those months ago!!!

Randomly clicking through the blog "Archives" on the right, I realise that my ramblings mainly concern:
a) Women (and lack thereof)
b) Not being able to speak Spanish
c) Arsenal
d) hangovers

actually d) is ironically rarer as I tend to blog at night when [ahem] drink has been taken, but before its morning awfulness has wreaked its merry way through my tummy and head. And alcohol (as any good Doctor here will attest) is not cool, or likely to help getting thoughts down coherently. I have not come to praise Beer, but to bury it....

Oddly enough (or perhaps not), as soon as I started work again, I kinda let the blogging slip.

So, after the somewhat pleasant diary-like reminders of what-i-did-on-my-holidays, I think I may start blogging again this year (don't all cheer at once). Not a "resolution", but I'm getting more into the habit of typing my thoughts (even though I'm still sooooo slow) and inspired by my posting on the PM blog.

[After poking at 2 posts from the archives, I can now also provide a short version of my blog: Seville is beautiful; if you can't speak the language you'll eat odd combinations of food; I'm rubbish with women; I worry too much about Arsenal; I get fascinated by stuff]

sumfing wot i posted on PM blog

2006-12-29T16:41:00.000Z

The question was:
we're coming to the end of another year and hurtling towards the end of the first decade of a new century, so... "What do the noughties mean to you?".....

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

noughties huh?
reckon Jason's onto a good thing by mentioning the iPod (which isn't even the best tool in terms of functionality... but ooooohhhh just feel the surface....)

Mainly though this decade is a follow-through from the 80's "Me" generation. Now I get to have my environment with me at all times (either in a big car or with earphones). I don't have to interact if I choose not to.

And choice is about me not you. And choice is soooo important nowadays. Not bothered what's on the menu, as long as I have a choice of options (I'd rather 35 channels of cr*p than 15 channels of cr*p... 3 healthcare options rather than a single appropriate one...)

Also I get to be famous - me, me meeeeee. While people gawp on and think "it could be meee there...." and go and have yet more alcohol, splitting them from others to an even greater extent... the social oil that we all slip along on.

and blogs are all about meeeeeeeeeeeeee.

or so I thought.

All that's very simplistic.

Blogs for a start are a medium, and for every hundred rubbish, adolescent gurning cries of "hello world" and "pick me" there's one that you can connect with and grow from.

And choice is a fallacy - choice is based on knowledge, difficult complex knowledge like "which surgeon had fewer fatalities?" leading to fewer surgeons cutting open 'high risk' cases leading to... and as any designer will tell you, choice inhibits action. And whats the point of a choice between things I'm gonna ignore anyway....?

And 'my' environment is now balanced by a concern for our environment...

so, the noughties? Not so naughty, but maybe a bit more growed up?

how many lurkers...?

2006-12-29T14:34:00.000Z

... does it take to change a blog?

Well, any lurker out there (erm, actually i only know of one) should put their hand up. Even anonymously.

then I'll know if i can be arsed to get back into blogging.

and then we'll know exactly how many lurkers it takes to change a blog.

ta!

(i do mean this by the way - if you're reading this, please comment, even with an anonymous "hi", as I have no way of counting 'hits' or anything...)

Walcott Wallcould wall might

2006-12-29T00:56:00.000Z

i should at least bother to check facts, but..... is part (a small and not overwhelming part admittedly, but a part) of the reason for Walcott and Baptista not getting good runouts this season due to the fact that they were signed on performance related pay?? ie if Walcott plays a game, then we don't just pay him (fair nuff) but also Southampton. Now, we wouldn't be that tight I'm sure but..... all adds up..... the diff between 6 and 12 million is another player....

Nah, more likely its cos Brady is youth coach and advocating a start like his (ie softly softly).

seeing at how good he was, and was for us, then either way, I don't care!!

this season at least!

radiohead rocks!!

2006-12-28T22:43:00.000Z

or..... marches??

both??!!?

Area woman conforms to ridiculous cliche horror!

2006-12-28T22:12:00.000Z

he he.

Honest. I couldn't make this up. Really, I'm not witty enough.

apparently...... the ex-head of MI5, Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller 's daughter is a.......

puppet master!!

what..... this isn't that funny?

oh.

retail therapy made me depressed - that's wrong, right?

2006-12-17T22:09:00.000Z

well, it was me own fault for going round Columbia Rd, Brick Lanes and Spitalfields looking for xmas presents on the last sunday before xmas. What was I thinking? and a really really bad idea to do it when I was feeling down about being single. Still. Even though I've always been single. All those "beautiful people" having fun and me moping, as I'd been reminded over the weekend that I was single and that wasn't likely to change no matter how much I might want.

Didn't even manage to buy any presents. This year is gonna be my most embarrassing as I have nothing really good to give anyone. I always like having something that will make someone just burst out laughing or go "ohmygod that's brilliant!" or something.

This time it'll be a bit flatter for me as all I seem to see is tat. And I really don't want to buy "just" anything. ah well, its not about the presents... except surely it is for my neice. I mean c'mon, she's six so it must be about the presents and I've been terrifically lame this year - I have nothing good to give her at all!....

[sigh]

put it back - you don't need it

2006-10-12T20:17:00.000+01:00

BUNGS!

don't yawn. Actually just heard that Leeds City (the original Leeds club) went under after "financial irregularities" - during the First World War no less!
["dirty"] Leeds Utd rose like a thuggish drunk from the ruins.

So not a new thing then. To be honest, it seems to me that taking a slice of a deal that you may or may not have made anyway, is a bit like a client buying you a drink. or a dinner.
or a luxury yacht.

at my far more humble level its more like raiding the stationery cupboard. a lot.
yep - I've got a fuck-load of pens

wha? where'sitallgone??

2006-10-08T22:43:00.000+01:00

ok - that's appropriate for anyone who may have gone to the 'old' site and been directed here, but I just didn't want my name associated with all this rubbish anymore!

"Whisht" is good enough.

maybe i should take the advice that word constantly gives.....?

volley at the valley

2006-10-01T13:13:00.000+01:00

can't say much more than that.
maybe this is the year VP and Hleb make good

that goal

real thinking

2006-08-17T14:02:00.000+01:00

ah, for ages I write nothing and then I get drunk and whitter on endlessly [see, or rather ignore, the previous blog entry]

Instead read Eddie Mair's blog (which I've linked to on the right).
He's much better.
I'm a fan. and i've said so before. Interviewing and journalism without ranting or bullying. Instead he gently leads them to the block with soothing words before trapping their neck on the guillotine...

hopefully his blog will let us in on things that don't make the show (or newsletter).

politics is awkward - and bullying aint enough

2006-08-04T22:36:00.000+01:00

look - is it me? dunno. Maybe I'm being a thicky. Trouble is I'm now very drunk, but the thing I'm thinking is something I've been pondering for some time now. if not actually properly thinking it through.
[However, the alcohol won't let my brain or fingers articulate it.]

[bugger.]

ok, all it is is - what if the UN (heck, the WORLD) asked Israel to stop, sorry for both sides to ceasefire, and they ignored it? I mean, its not like other UN reolutions haven't been ignored by either side.

Would that have made the netgotiating position harder?
Unfortunately I only did the negotiating 101 consultancy training (a taster) not the full whack. I honestly don't know.

It just seems to me that if Blair/ Bush/ UN/ Jounalistpundit/ fuckinanybody requests "you should ceasefire" and they don't, that it makes the requester seem irrelevant.
"stop"
"no"
"stop"!
"did somebody say something...? did you hear anything?
"Stop!"
"hm, people that don't understand are sympathising with the other side - can somebody explain to them that we're the victim..?"

Morraly unasailable to say "stop bombing people" of course. but... doesn't it make you irrelevant when you are ignored? Doesn't it weaken you when you ask for something that will never be given?

Am I naive? God knows but I want the violence to stop but what will make either side stop?
And by "make" I mean 'persuade' as well as 'force'.

Obviously(?) I also think that military action has a "logical progression". After its started, stopping seems like 'victory' or 'surrender'. and noone will except "surrender" or "losing".

So what can the UN do? usually its impose sanctions (trade etc as well as ordinance provision) but these are ignored. US still trades because of its local politics in the same way that Iran and Syria do. So, does the "RestOfTheWorld" impose upon the US or Iran?!? it hasn't in the past (kinda tricky them being physically stronger than the UN).

So unfortunately we come again to the realisation that countries (and individuals) are motivated by self interest. It is in the self interest of Israel to not ceasefire but to contimnue bombing as it wishes to crippple Hezbolllah/ Hezbollah have a self interest to continue bombing to prove they are a force to be reckoned with.
Its in the self interest of the US to support Israel and (therefore??) the interest of Iran to support Hizbollah...., blah blah blah.

but "blah blah blah" cannot make someone stop. Its too easy for the liberal left (and god knows i'm one of them) to say "Blair should tell them to stop" but unfortunatey they only give a very little shit (maybe only a fart) as to what he thinks.

We're in 'bully' mode. Pain is the only thing that stops someone doing something.
We (the UN, journalists etc) just haven't found the pain spots yet..

and I'm wittering - and you are reading - as people are dying.

I wish I could bully people into non-violence but 'bullying' in whatever form always reinforces the fact that if you can cause pain.... you win

share and share alike

2006-08-01T13:17:00.000+01:00

ok ok ok I KNOW. I haven't been very active on this thing recently.

I'm sure I warned you I was shooting off to Aus and all that. Its not like I can take my cookie with me and you expect me to remember my password???!!?

Anyway, I had a wonderful time thankyou for asking. Glad to be back though as now my life can begin again.

Sordid tales of drinking champagne at 4am while watching grown men sweat will come later but I just had to share this.

I'm looking for online photo sharing sites/ services so that I can set up a site that tens of people from the wedding in Aus can all be given access to, to load up their photos. I use Flikr which i like but Flikr is linked to one's yahoo account which i'd rather not open up to dozens of people.

First interesting thing is that many sites now demand that you buy photos or stuff through their site at least once a year. Not actually that terrible but still, one of those irritants.

More staggering was photomax.com which doesn't do this and seems good but demands that you know a member first! Just how the hell are you going to build up a community at that speed??

And is community building really the golden egg its cracked up to be?
I just want to share photos with a very select communty. Usually I just want to share photos with one or two people (and then random ones or whatever) but not a 'community'. Its a wedding or my family in the garden or holiday snaps - who the hell is gonna randomly come across these and think "hey - they're people I'd like to email and know and actually I want to buy that print!".

Am I missing smething here? Am i getting old and not jiggy with it?
Am I thatcherite in thinking there is no such thing as community?
Is it all just "me me me"?
nah - how could I think it is all just "me me me" when writing on a blog noone reads...?

and..... we're off!

2006-06-09T19:18:00.000+01:00

yep,
world cup is now not merely upon us but completely over our feet, shins, and maybe our knees.
That's what an opening match can do.
Now, I ain't no expert but don't think that won't stop me wittering on as if I did know something about football. There'll be opinions, wild speculation and biased viewing. I'll care about the wrong things, remember things my brothers told me about what actually matters, recap what mates are saying (actually probably only one mate - I have the sort of mates who ask me out for a beer on the night of the Champions League Final. or get married on the other side of the planet on the nights of the quarter finals. yeah, go figure...). And I'll half-remember pundits' observations about players and not remember the salient points. And then remember that it was about someone else.

brilliant! Its what the World Cup is all about!!

So, Germany just thumped Costa Rica 4-2. A surprising amount of goals, especially for a world cup opener, but to be honest, every team is gonna score goals against Costa Rica and Germany.
The Germans are incredibly flat at the back, and can be turned soooooo easily whereas Cost Rica seem to think noone's gonna tackle them in their own half. I mean, just because they don't put pressure on their oponents doesn't mean that they're not allowed to try back...

so a lot of goals but not a great game for me. Flashes of quality (the goals) but not really a quality game as neither side are particularly stuffed with uber-talent (if you're expecting an umlaut - no chance).

Actually what this really is, is that I've gotta care a bit more about the teams. I need to pick some teams from a hat and give a shit. That's about the only bad point of now being a contractor - not always in a team.
and teams are important... (at this point, if you're expecting me to somehow gell together insights about work, comraderie, team spirit, football and the World Cup... sorry, I can't be arsed.)

hm, a full 30 mins till Poland Ecuador.... what can I do with the full resources of the internet, a beer and some time to kill...?

nah. me got no idea either.

jeezus!!

2006-05-28T21:41:00.000+01:00

Thanks to my mate for putting me onto this site. Glossy US Popbitch with pictures.
Usually I'd put a link in for him too but he's given this ol' blogging malarky up.

yep.

gay.

Anyway, I followed a link... and found this.

fuck I said. there's not really much more I can say really...

2006-05-27T16:37:00.000+01:00

another confusing day as people tell you stuff that ain't exactly true:
"That's the bus stop" (true-ish. I'd asked about buses to Flores and they point at a bus stop. It is a busstop if not actually the right one)
"Do you sell tickets?" "No" (not exactly true as I buy tickets from his colleague hours later when wandering and wondering where to buy tickets).
"It will pick you up from the hotel" (not true - I have to make a mad dash in a taxi to catch the bus about to leave from the bus station)

sigh. I guess this is what all tourists feel like when people try to be helpful... and I'm only moaning as this place is constantly pissing with rain - I need sun!!

And sun is what I get in Flores.
As the name suggests a really pretty little place. Tiny in fact. So tiny that I managed to get lost as the map gives a false sense of scale. still, as I say so small that you can't really get too lost, merely disorientated.
Flores is an islet (is that a word?? I mean a small isle at the end of a prominitory in a big lake. Its whatever one of those are.
Glad its off season as its a quiet place and would be far less relaxing with tons of people all trooping around doing the same thing (ie either catching a bus to, or getting off a bus from, Tikal).
Instead its quiet and easy to relax looking over the lake with a beer.
And hot. Not overpowering or particularly burning (which for me is a big deal being a ginga) but bright and exactly what I needed.

This is a jumping off point for Tikal, a collection of Mayan ruins that I'm really looking forward to.

how much more..?

2006-05-27T16:26:00.000+01:00

Just had a look at my Guatamala diary and realised I'm only up to the "caves" bit. Jesus this is taking ages to get through. Not because there's a lot of it just cos I'm so bloody lazy in writing it up.

Hopefully I'll finish before I go to Aus otherwise it'll start getting weird with Aus and Guatamala stories overlapping in some kind of Potter-esque storytelling.

That's Potter as in "Dennis" not "Harry" obviously...

The match, the reaction and the news....

2006-05-19T09:38:00.000+01:00

well, I thought I'd blogged my thoughts about the match but it seems I didn't. Must be the alcoholic haze I'm suffering. last night was out again so gotta ease off Mr. Booze this weekend...

anyway, as for the match, I'm pretty sanguine about it. We were better than them for the first 20 mins. Jens deservedly got sent off and we played doggedly for the rest of the match. I continued to think we could win it all the way through, but I was always fearful of the last 20-30mins when they could send on fresh legs.
Ref did get decisions wrong but at least one of them benefited us (our goal from a free kick where Eboue dived).
So - we lost but played with real spirit and I'm proud of what we did.

Really surprised about Henry's moaning but just shows how much he cared and how exhausted he was. Yeah, he came off worst from the refs mistakes, but not like him to whine...

Mind you, the news coming out this morning is fantastic, but I'll wait till there's ink on paper before I explode with joy.

Hopefully that'll coincide with me sobering up from last night.... I'm knackered

well, tonight's the night

2006-05-17T14:39:00.000+01:00

As you may know or care less, I support Arsenal.
There are just sooooo many places to get more informative, exciting punditry, views and opinions on footy than me (though that won't stop me from bending your ear in a pub about it). Visit the Arseblog link on the right tomorrow for what will no doubt be good stuff. Though he'll be suffering a hangover no matter what happens.

However, I won't bang on hear about the match tonight - suffice to say I'm beginning to get excited.

It was a bit odd this morning walking into work. Very very quiet. Hardly anyone around on the canal to Angel, and the canal itself was eerily flat - first time I've seen it like that.
Made me think that the place was just holding its breath.

I didn't see any magpies, in case you were wondering...

I'm becoming random. Nerves setting in.
I'll get me coat.....

my ignorance

2006-05-14T19:43:00.000+01:00

So back to the Guatemala diaries.....

Its good to get your expectations exploded.
I'm sitting in a dreary town called Coban. Its raining. Its always raining apparently. Yesterday was an 'exceptional' day in that it wasn't and was instead gloriously sunny and beautiful. But today is like any normal day here, mild (it is kinda winter) and drizzly.
Its a small town where its very easy to feel like you've seen everything worth seeing in about 20mins. And I've been here 2 days.

I've dived into a cafe and opposite me is a 'typical' american. Fat, out of breath, wearing typical fat-american clothes and he's been offhand with the locals from whom he's just ordered a beer.
Typical.
We're sitting opposite each other in front of an unlit fireplace that promises warmth, but I won't bank on it. I'm feeling pissy. I don't enter into conversation with this guy even if he is the only other person here, we're in each other's line of site and is the only guy who's first language is English that I've met in days! Instead I just sit and feel superior... and then he starts 'conversation' by saying:
"Hmm, that food smeels good"
(I'm eating crappy nachos and he looks fat and hungry. Sod off they're mine)
"Yeah"
Weirdly within a few minutes we're drinking beers together and he's saying things like:
"How much do you know about neo-liberalism?"
Actually at this point I was foxed as I know sod all about anything, but tried to save some face by saying "weeeellllllll.... possibly its more useful if you define what you mean".

yup - a born consultant.

Anyway, this guy has lived in Guatemala for 10 or 20 years off and on. He's a University lecturer in Latin American studies, although annoyingly for him, his linguistic skills in being able to speak some native Central Amercan languages means he's often stuck in the languages department of different universities.
This guy is not typical. Maybe no one is...

Anyway, I get a lesson in Latin American politics, neo-liberalism (to which my comment "hm, seems like a banker's solution" gets a snort of agreement so I guess I at least learnt what he meant by neo-liberalism) and modern history (after the IMF attempted to fix things here by demanding on a neo-liberal agenda of pegging currency to the dollar, sorting out the economy and waiting for everything else to fall into place - the country has a wider gap between rich and poor, the poorest are poorer if fewer).

and I learnt what I couldn't learn from the web. Max (for that was his name) answered my unGoogleable ponder - what the hell was the guy selling rocks at the market doing??

gotta go. If you care you'll read on...

back again....

2006-05-14T19:20:00.000+01:00

Well, this could've been a lot odder than it has been.
So - What am I talking about?
(btw - I hear that comment a lot)

Well, I started a contracting job last week at the company I left last October!
(I've discovered that one or two people actually do read this nonsense but there's not much to censor comment wise as I like to think I left on good terms with the company).

I left because I was tired and lost me mojo. Also, structurally, the company wasn't quite right for me. But I did feel it could be in the future, so (hopefully) left on terms where I can keep an eye out for how things might change, as they do do some 'fun' stuff here. It was just frustrating that I didn't seem to be able to do any of it and I felt I wasn't learning enough. Anyway, for the first time in my life I have a vague plan for further forward than the next day: Contract, find out how other companies 'do it', get a permanent job at the end of the year, buy a place next winter. However, if some other offer comes up... well, that's just good luck!

One of the things I do need to do though, is to get in or leave for lunch about 10-15mins earlier than I have to. This is because I keep bumping into people that I know and like from before and end up chatting on stairs and outside of lifts while my stomach rumbles!

how happy..?!!!!?!!

2006-05-07T18:43:00.000+01:00

Well how happy do you think I am????
can barely type I'm so drunk/ ecstatic.
and "ecstatic" took ages to type!!!!!!!!!!

I won't go on about hat tricks, last day at Highbury, last game for Denis, last this-and-that.

we're in Europe regardless of the result in Paris!

as I walked back from the pub I was grinnning soooooo much!
mainly women smiled back and guys kinda put their heads down.
dunno what this says about the Female/ Male divide. Or about women liking manic shaven headed fools and men quite rightly not knowing whher I was Broadmoor bound or not.

anyway. More pints with me mate needed!

I'm a wreck

2006-04-25T22:05:00.000+01:00

fuck mine.

we did it.

unbelievable.

I'm still shaking with nerves. Thank god I wasn't drinking or I'd be a complete state.

I don't have a shred of nail on any finger. nothing. ripped raw. I'm still biting the fuckers.

My mate said "lucky fuckers". Can't argue with that. Not one shot on goal against their 5 or 6 good chances. and penalty. Funnily enough if anyone was gonna pull that off you'd reckon on Jens. but still.
We were nervous, playing defensively, scared of conceding more than they were. And tired. Henry wasn't running at the end, except for that break, Hleb was out on his feet. I reckon the game with spurs took it out of them physically and emotionally.
Anyway, sod that, c'mon 17th May....

c'mon Arsenal!!

well, the Sol's come out

2006-04-25T19:29:00.000+01:00

yep. Big night.
Villareal v Arsenal.
I'm so nervous I can't sit down.
god when will the tv coverage start...?

not drinking tonight as need to give the kidneys a rest and know that my nervousness would get me through too many...

cmon Arsenal!

clever clever smartarsedness...

2006-04-20T15:35:00.000+01:00

I just made up a quote. aren't I the smartypants...

"In terms of deceiving with facts,
Quotes are as bad as statistics"

and (yes), you can quote me on that

My first time - I'm too old for this

2006-04-07T21:09:00.000+01:00

OK another tale of Guatamalan travels.... to be honest I'm writing this a month after the fact but my notes are from the night it happened. Do you care? I wish my scanner worked as I'd just scan 'em. Can't even be arsed reading them again so here goes - an excercise (for me) in typing and for you in reading.

good luck.

"Saturday night after Semuc Champey and Grutas [something] Rey.
Helluva day. Before I start I'm writing this after the day, sitting in casa D'Acuna (again) and I reckon I've insulted the proprietor (again) by ordering Gallo rather than wine.
Anyway, expected to be on my own for this trip with maybe 1 other person (doddery pensioner knowing my luck). Instead got a nice guy and 2 US girls (Elaine + Vivian?). Then into the ineveitable shuttle minibus, full of people.
Before we reach our destination, the driver wonders whether we'd like to 'upgrade' caves we're visiting. Its the first good day in ages apparently.
We upgrade.
Good choice. Walked and swam through a cave complex, holding a candle for light. Any of you who know me may know I'm NOT a confident swimmer. Soon my candle was doused as I thrashed around. Not very manly. Its amazing that you can have any fun while scared and embarrassed.
Honestly - I was in the middle of a line of people swimming and treading water through these caves. Swimming I can kinda do but "treading water" is just a foreign language to me. Hence inapropriate splashing feet, swallowing of water and girly gasping while holding some crumbs of wax (the remnants of the candle). When we reach the 'end' and turn back to retrace our "steps" I head to the back of the line so I can 'swim' between rocky crags and ignore the idea of treading water. hanging onto these rocky outcrops cuts me arms a bit but do I give a monkey's? No. Well, not until a current (current?!? I'm in a cave!!) tries to take me under the outcrop and I get genuinely scared for a second (its a dark cave, I'm behind the group, "safety" is a word I'm unlikely to hear in Spanish).

After all this we emerge blinking and shivering into the light (though I am maniacally grinning as I'm still alive) and I begin to relax (ie my muscles are beginning to stop gripping themselves). From here we walk to a staging post and shed the umpteenth-hand trainers we put on to go into the caves (I've done this in size 9 trainers - I'm usually an 11) and cos I wasn't prepared (how come everyone else had flip flops?) I go barefoot to the "next bit". However, this is land and if its sharp stones I care not a shit - its land and I could fucking dance on this stuff!! Anyway, now we get into inner-tubes and float down the river. Fucking fantastic! I love it! Truly - its wonderful!! I'm giggling. After my obvious crapness in the cave this may sound odd but honestly its wonderful. While going down the river I learn that all US and Canadian kids do this in "summer camp" - "it ain't no big deal".

It is a fucking big deal.

They've forgotten what its like doing it the first time. And its beautiful- this is a truly beautiful river and area but as we'd been clambering though caves and shit none of us had our cameras so no pics I'm afraid. The closest I've got pics of are of Semuc Champey itself - hit the piccies on the right and look for those ones.

So, we float down to Semuc Champey proper. This is a series of torquoise pools which really are as beautiful as professional photographers can make them. If not more so. I wish I had me glasses on.
However this wasn't just a pleasant float or scenic end of the trip.

oh no.
Now we float/ swim this bit of the river from pool to pool which is a bit like going down the different levels of a canal (I guess) without the locks. and more beautiful. and no barges. How do I describe a river that's cut its way through a mainly limestone landscape leaving 'shelves' of harder stone along the way which contain these still, torquoise pools? Probably that's the best you'll get from me.
But this did mean for me, a bit of a gentle swim (although these pools are about 10-20ft deep and I don't "tread") and its quite a drop between each step or pool.
Hence my first ever jump from 14ft into water. The most I'd done before was jumping 2ft from the edge of the swimming pool in Stevenage.
Its a bit embarressing for me to have done so many "first" on the same day when I'm a 35 year old man. First time panicking in a dark cave that I'm swimming through. First time "tubing" down a river. First time "bombing" from a bit of a height. shit. 10 year olds discover this stuff and well they should.
Somehow I'm gonna make sure my niece learns how to swim.

and speak Spanish.

social networkalising... while i do other things

2006-04-02T22:59:00.000+01:00

Ripping these albums is taking ages.
While I've been doing it I've been listening to the new Candi Staton album (a housemate had it). Not very good I'm afraid.

Though Lastfm will now tell me about all my new friends who happen to be women between 30 and 40.
yippee.

dammit! - that's why my music was getting stale

2006-04-02T22:38:00.000+01:00

Recently I've been getting bored of the music I had on my shuffle iPod and was surprised that it wasn't as varied as I'd thought my tastes were.

The tonight it struck me when I thought - "That's odd; Paris Texas never comes on my iPod..."
So I checked and found I hadn't put it on. duh!
Now, I knew that I'd never got round to putting a few of my albums on my computer but I thought it was mainly the jazz stuff and some of the more ropey compilations and stuff that kind of turns up in one's collection like barnacles.

Well, I've just found forty albums that I haven't put on my computer. and that was without looking hard.
four-zero.

bollocks

And they're not ropey. They're not even the jazz albums. No, this is stuff like:
Pixies - Surfer Rosa and Doolittle; Smashing Pumpkins - Siamese Dream; Buffalo Tom - Birdbrain; The The - Mind Bomb; Blur - Parklife; Pulp - This is Hardcore; Billy fucking Bragg for christs sake (how the hell had i not spotted him not being played??);
And this ain't mentioning stuff like the Fatima Mansions, Gallon Drunk, Willie Nelson, Hank Williams, Sex Pistols and collections of James Bond, Sly and the Family Stone and James Brown. I'll ignore the fact that i didn't put Elvis Presley and an opera collection on.

Ok, I can see that this would have been the end of the stuff that I wouldv'e put on my computer when it was new a year ago, and that it would've taken ages (and shit - I've only had browdband for a few months, and I'm not typing track names!)

so, I see how it happened but still, this is good stuff I've been missing out on....

awww just spotted Dr. John - Gris Gris and Pet sounds and New York by Lou Reed... and the Mars Volta!

actually that's less of a surprise that I hadn't put it on.....

watchyalisseninto?

2006-03-31T22:51:00.000+01:00

maybe i said this before but I'm now dissapointed how narrow my musical tastes are.
I used to gain some satisfaction for myself that friends would either not know of the stuff I was listening to or said I had "savage" taste or whatever, but looking at my Lastfm stats my musical tastes are somewhat obvious.
And that ain't good.
Or at least - that ain't what I thought they'd be.
Not that I hunted out the weird or odd. Its just that I like interesting music. Music that makes me think. That throws switches. "Think" is perhaps wrong.
"Makes me react in a positive way" whether that is in that it makes me think or tap me foot or both.
So Daniel Johnston and the Fall are obvious bedfellows. as is Can and Flaming Lips and the Smiths and Hugo Largo and Radiohead. Bjork, Bowie, Buzzcocks is simply alphabetical. I thought tuvan throat singing was exceptional but there's probably an entire community extolling its virtues. And why not?
As I say I wasn't trying to be "different". Or I hope not anyway.........

No. Normally i fall into self deprecation but this is serious.

This is music.

What I like is that moment of feeling. Of being touched. of reacting. of not disliking something!!
And I get this from the artists mentioned and others like Arvo Part and Reich and Durrutti Column and.... nah. about to say "abba" but I ain't got any of their stuff. I like it, but its radio music - when i don't expect it its fantastic - i've never tried a whole album!!

So, slightly more parochial in my tastes than I thought. I guess I'm dissapointed as I love music and think that as my breadth is narrower than I believed it means I'm missing out on something.

bollocks

blimey! read the previous entry first!! (below "Broadband was invented to read music reviews

2006-03-31T21:17:00.000+01:00

No - really. This only makes sense after you read the previous entry.
well, go on.

No, really - READ IT! The one below.....

jeezus........

** this entry begins now, but read the earlier one first - have you got the hang of this yet?**

My GOD!!!
There are NO bands called "Broadband" on All Music Guide!
Not one. Not even as someone's name like "Johnny Broadband and the glut of shite".

nada.

I'll try Google.....

OK not a smart move. Quite a few pages have the word "broadband" but I tried "Broadband band name music" and got no actual bands (you try something better and let me know)

I tried Amazon and got nothing under Popular music.

where else..??

If not if you're in a band CALL YOURSELF BROADBAND!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

broadband was invented to read music reviews

2006-03-31T20:48:00.000+01:00

I may very well have to update this entry later but I've had a couple, was reading stuff online, and thought I'd jot this down.

This started by looking for the lyrics for Free Will and Testament by Robert Wyatt. Its brilliant. Honestly. Desert Island disk brilliant (yeah - you narrow down a handful of choons you'd live the rest of your life with).
Found them here. Its to the album's entry and you'll have to scroll down 4 or 5 songs (jesus just how lazy are you?) but you really ought to listen to the record properly first (can't be arsed linking to amazon and buying it for you and coming round and putting headphones on your head and pinning you to a chair - I ain't done that in years).
Anyway, also on that page are the lyrics to another absolutely no-argument brilliant song - Shipbuilding by Elvis Costello. Again if you don't know it, buy it on whatever album you next see it on (as sung by Wyatt or Costello) cos its worth the price of an album alone. The 'full' price. Yeah I know, I ain't spent 15 quid on an album since I bought my mates!

Anyway, while searching for these things I found reviews etc and went and read and thought "bugger! I've discovered and forgotten you before!" So here is a good site I've found before, but forgotten about (the reason I may be back to this entry is if I find the reason I forgot it was cos its rubbish elsewhere). Its called trouserpress and is a site of reviews of music or as they elaborate:
"Trouser Press was a New York-based rock music magazine that specialized in a number of genres — British Invasion history, new wave, progressive and independent-label releases — during its existence, which was from 1974 to 1984. In 1983, the editors of the magazine authored the first of a series of record guides. Those books are the basic content of this site."

I'm mentioning it here as they point out the brilliance of the lyric:
"What kind of spider understands arachnophobia?"
and just how often do you get a review of Elvis Costello with the statement "(just what the world needs: another Randy Newman)" or the word "peregrinations".

oh. a lot? well that's cos I hardly ever read review magazines.

By the way - how many bands have called themselves "broadband?"
You'll either have to Google yourself (!) or come back later (oooooh I'm such a tease....)

what a game!

2006-03-28T21:55:00.000+01:00

c'mon!!!!!!!!
We embarrassed them! I had a feeling it was our night but I never suspected we'd out-hussle them! Our work rate, our play for each other and most of all our speed!!
jesus I'm happy.

Just heard Lee Dixon on Radio 5 Live and he talks a lot of sense. Emphasised that this Arsenal is better in Europe because of the lack of physical pressure posed by european teams. Not startling but ensured that the conversation didn't just discuss dull topics like "Does this vindicate the selling of Vieira?". No, 13 million quid justifies the selling of a 29 year old who was getting heavier legs as he got older. Still a great player and I don't want to see him humiliated again but really, it was good business.
And Dixon did point out that you have to give young players some hope of playing in the team and that this would also have been a factor. He also mentioned that Wenger told him that he never really knew if a player had the necessary mental strength until he'd seen him at 19 or 20 and play in important games.

Looks like Fabragas is proving himself early then!

god, some images are coming back to me.... Pires making a tackle. Actually, Pires being rather good (must be thinking of his contract...), Fabregas fouling Vieira, Vieria being nutmegged, Vieria being left for dead by "race yer.." Henry, Hleb missing the pass... again, Toure's great tackles, Gilberto doing what he should do and being strong.... and Eboue! Jesus, Eboue steaming down the wing... and launching a stunning cross that noone had thought would come.

OK we ain't won the tie yet and then its the semis and then its the final. But still, refreshing to see the team play with pace and a helluva good sign for next season!

Oh, and of course there's the Premiership.... but sod that for tonight!

Superstitious?

2006-03-28T18:51:00.000+01:00

Actually, thinking of superstitions made me think (or ponder - you'll have to look back through the archives about my "pondering" affliction).

Are there modern superstitions?
I don't mean do modern people still touch wood, count magpies and pick the petals off flowers (she loves me... she loves me not...). Of course we do. But these are all old superstitions. I was trying to think of 'modern' ones.

After chatting with a friend we came up with a couple - both related to smoking funnily enough.
One was the "Its unlucky to light a third cigarette from the same match" which goes back to the trenches in WWI.
The other was that some smokers (apparantly) have a "lucky" cigarette that they turn upside down and put back in the packet. Apparently they smoke it last (unless my housemate is winding me up.... dunno).

So - do you know of any others? c'mon, if I get a bunch of these 'modern' superstitions I'll illustrate them.

There, now if that weren't incentive enough....

result

2006-03-28T18:45:00.000+01:00

Ok, I admit it. I can be superstitious. At times, not always but just... well. Its like this.
I saw a magpie today. Just the one.
and you know what that means...
I was muttering and chuntering afterwards thinking about the match tonight.
Damn.
But my mood changed when I saw two magpies on the way back! hoorah! the bad luck must've been me not finding what i was looking to buy as well as getting something in my eye which is still annoying me. Gotta be that.

So its 2-1. Yeah an away goal but still...

what else would I blog today??

2006-03-28T11:54:00.000+01:00

God today's a big day. Or evening anyway.
Juve come to Arsenal and all that means. If you don't know what that means I can't be arsed telling you but here is a great article on what it means.

c'mon Arsenal

Don't expect...

2006-03-27T23:34:00.000+01:00

Actually, the whole thing about expectations wasn't just the tourist office guy trying to sell a journey.

I guess in the West you get used to 'sameness' (exemplified by McDonalds). You have an expectation set by a previous experience. Here its different. The ingredients of a breakfast one day will be different to the following day - in the same restaurant - and for a different price. Maybe this time you'll get bacon. maybe. or maybe rice pudding. and remember - its the same restaurant and the same menu-with-photos and the same finger pointing at the same "americano" breakfast. And it would be stoopid to believe the sin on the outside (the very very large expensively printed sign) that proclaimed all breakfasts at Q10 when there wasn't anything on the menu below Q17. Its an expensive sign. They just.... kept it.

Not that I care, cos Q10 is about less than £1 so it really don't matter that this cost me a pound-fifty instead, its more the inability to expect.
There are lots more examples of this but it sounds like whining now, and that isn't what I was getting at - in fact, I guess I'm bemoaning a culture like the West when so much emphasis is placed on expectation over reality.

Which is more important? Which do you actually enjoy?

Which do you actually eat?

oh, sorry, obviously i misunderstood... lesson #1

2006-03-27T23:04:00.000+01:00

Ok, I've just got to the bit in my diary where I'd booked the bus to Coban. I'd checked out a coupla places and it looked like a similar deal price-wise whichever tourist office i looked in.
Now, as I keep on saying, my Spanish is a bit ropey (ie nonexistent) but still I reckon that through the universal language of slow talking, making stuff sound spanish and a few sprinkled spanish words - as well as pointing to a fucking picture - the agent and I had agreed that the bus would pick me up from my hotel door and in one journey take me to Coban. I was sceptical cos the other places didn't do it in one journey, so I pressed him on this:
"Panajachel - Coban?"
"Si"
"No stopping??"
"No"
"No?? Really???" (slightly incredulous as its quite far and everyone else had mentioned a stop...)
"Si. Yes. It stops in Guatamala City"
"Ah, so Panajachel - Guatamala City - Coban?"
"Si"
"Same bus?"
"Si"
"I don't change bus in Guatamala City?"
"No"
"Really??"
"No. Same bus" and he's pointing to a picture pinned on the wall of a big fancy american style bus.
"That takes me all the way??!? Panajachel - Guatamala - Coban??!!??"
"Yes. Special price.... good!" This 'special price' being the same as every other tourist office, of which there are well over a dozen on this street.
"Same bus?!?!??"
"Yes"

No.
In fact I'll cut this short (I've already gone on but... ah well). anyway, instead of a big american style bus, I get picked up by the (usual) minibus and travel to Guatamala City. Here I'm turfed out at the bus station and waved onto the public bus to Coban. Admittedly not a "chicken bus", but still. I kind've expected this as that's what they mentioned in the Lonely Planet as being a typical journey (hence my disbelief in the tourist office) but still. After pointing at photos and actually writing down town names with hyphens between, I kind've expected....

Lesson #1 - don't expect.

actually lesson #godknows with the next one being "Take advantage of it now".
"It" being the thing for sale, a toilet break, food, anything. Even if you're not hungry or thirsty, or don't need to pee - pee. Drink. Take advantage NOW cos the next time could be hours away, and when you get off this damn bus, you gotta find a hotel and negotiate.

and negotiating while tired and needing to pee is not good.
Maybe that's a lesson too.

fill 'er up

2006-03-21T23:29:00.000Z

yep a new thang added to my already overburdened "and also" column (on the right)

Now you can see what I've been listening to (or am listening to right now in some spooky eavesdropping stylee)

I dislike the formatting, but not sure how to change.... do it some other time... another of my mantras....
If the songs tend to lack lyrics that's cos I can't type and listen to words at the same time (nor can i pat my belly and rub my head or whatever)

I don't believe that makes me any less of a man.

the ponder

2006-03-17T16:05:00.000Z

I'm the kind of person that ponders. I'll see something and invent a reason for it happening. I'll imagine motivations or history; some kind of cause.

This is all well and good, and I'd got used to not expecting to ever discover the truth. However, now with Google, as long as you remember the ponder, you can pretty much answer it.

Which is why the old guy selling rocks in Chichi market was so interesting to me. Ok it was interesting regardless, but I also knew I'd never be able to Google it and discover what the hell he was doing.

So my mind set to work. He's selling chalky rock. In small quantities. Is it used in making tourist stuff (painting masks or making stuff look old?). Hmm, doesnt feel right.

Maybe they use it in flour? I remember my parents telling me that they put chalk in flour to whiten it, but I also remember that chalk is good for indigestion. Which is extremely common here. I mean, there are posters for Alka Seltzer everywhere, and they can't all be for the tourist community. The locals must be suffering from some of the same problems.

I ponder on....

Windy

2006-03-17T15:53:00.000Z

Actually reading my notes I had been feeling iffy but hadn't had 'liquid belly' until this entry. Which explains why I was cranky yet not knowing why.
Actually I'm a bit sarky at the best of times, but anyway...

Tonight was an incredibly windy night. [yes the weather]. The corrugated iron roofs and fences rattled all night and you could just hear biggish things landing. My imagination is pretty... erm, imaginative, so I imagigined all sorts. In the morning, it didn't look as terrible as I'd thought it would have to. I guess there's stuff lying around anyway, and all the corrugated stayed (roughly) in place.

Mind you, the dawn chorus of dogs and roosters was a little subdued.